Hotel in Istanbul in July

I stayed at Old City Viva per recommendation from here and it was a good value and in a great location. About halfway between the Blue Mosque Area and the Spice Market right on the main road. I took my 12 year old grandson with me and he loved it. The breakfast was great and had french fries (he loved that). Also there was a little kiosk right across the street that had doner and he liked walking over there and ordering his lunch. It was a great trip and the kids will love Istanbul. Since it was my first trip there I did arrange the transportation with the hotel to be picked up at the airport and I think it was about $25. Worked out perfectly. It is not a luxury hotel, but it was fine and we had a room on about the 3rd floor, so a nice view as well. Loved hearing the Call to Prayer from our hotel room.

Thank you- I'll check that out!

We also stayed in the Old Town area at the Erboy Hotel. They fetched us from the airport and the ride (in May)into the city was spectacular with all the roadways lined with roses in bloom. We easily walked to all the sights and to the Golden Horn/Galata Bridge to shop, eat, and take the local ferries. Istanbul was more than we ever expected with friendly people from all walks of life. A great view of the bustling Golden Horn is from the second level at the McDonald's a few blocks from the hotel following the tram tracks to the harbor. For the price of a small diet coke, you can watch the boats of all descriptions jockeying for the landings. We also enjoyed the rooftop terrace of that and other nearby hotels.

What were the must see sights and best experiences you had there? Did you do any traveling outside of Istanbul as well? Thank you!

We spent 7 nights at Hotel Sultan Hill - it's perfectly located, clean and a good value. Rick Steves' Istanbul book highlights all of the best things to see and do there - if you don't already have it, it's a great resource!

We did not leave Istanbul (except to go on a boat cruise to Asia for yogurt!) but in the city we loved just wandering around to all the highlights... Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. My grandson 'bargained' for his chess set and for him that was really special. We also found a wonderful linen shop and he bought some beautiful cotton Turkish towels to take home... We had lots of fun at a restaurant right near the hotel as the waiter was really friendly and talked to Joshua about his country. We also liked the boat cruise and the park that is right on the main street (between the hotel and Blue Mosque area) was a nice place to hang out in the afternoon when it was hot. It is a delightful place. If you PM me I will send you a message so you can go on Youtube and see my slideshow from that trip. I also made a journal for him so he could keep track of everything we did, do some sketching, etc. It is sort of a trip log and I made him fill it out every night.

we stayed at teh HOtel Sari Konak in the Old Town - perfect location, quiet, great rooftop terrace, good breakfast, steps from major sites. highly recommend note, also recommended by Rick Steves.

My friend and I stayed at the Hotel Uyan and recommend it highly. Friendly staff. Ask for a larger room...they are lovely. It is perfectly located between Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque and Topkapi. From its rooftop restaurant, the views of the Hagia and Mosque are fabulois.